Army Col. Lee H. Schiller Jr. took command of the facility which includes cannon and mortar-making operations, along with high-tech businesses. In total, about 1,400 people work at the site.

Schiller worked as the deputy director for maintenance policies and programs in the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics at the headquarters for the Department of the Army. He participated in a ceremony Thursday morning with outgoing commander Col. Mark F. Migaleddi, who will now be stationed in Afghanistan.

Schiller is the 58th commander at the site, which has been making weapons to support troops since the War of 1812.

"A lot has changed at the arsenal since 1813 - equipment, machinery, and buildings; but the one thing that has not changed is the overwhelming sense of pride the workforce puts into every product made at the arsenal," said Schiller. "The arsenal workforce has been resolute for 200 years meeting the urgent demands of our nation's warfighters despite the ebbs and flows of the defense budgets. We must be as determined today to meet the significant fiscal challenges we now face and to do so with a strong sense of dignity and pride."

Born in Baltimore, he holds a bachelor of arts degree in biology from Western Maryland College, a master's in healthcare administration from Baylor University, and a master's of science in national resource strategy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. He was a platoon leader during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm, and a battalion executive officer with Operation Iraqi Freedom. His awards and decorations include the bronze star medal, the global war on terrorism service medal, and combat medical badge. He has been married for 20 years to his wife, Christine, and they have four children.

Migaleddi stated: "Today's change of command, a simple ceremony that is rich in tradition, has now been executed 58 times in 200 years. It is not a ceremony marking an end of 200 years of continuous service to our nation and our allies, but a ceremony to mark the new beginning in time, a time where the Arsenal looks to seize on new opportunities to maintain and improve our critical manufacturing skills."

A few hundred people attended the ceremony, held under a grove of trees. Symbolizing the command change, a stamp with the new commander's initials was placed inside a cannon tube.

The arsenal campus is made up of 72 buildings on 143-acres.

Officials at the event included Maj. Gen. Michael Terry, Watervliet Mayor Mike Manning, County Executive Dan McCoy, Arsenal Business and Technology Partnership President Peter Gannon, and former U.S. Rep. Mike McNulty.